The moment “human remains” were discovered in a pile of what first appeared to be clothes and rubbish near Handy Cross has been re-lived by one of the first people to stumble across the crime scene.

Mystery still surrounds Saturday’s grisly and shocking discovery, with forensic investigators set to continue their search for evidence near the A404, M40 slip road into the next week.

Detectives are currently treating the death as “unexplained” and they are yet to reveal any details about the person, when they are thought to have died or if they believe the death is suspicious.

READ MORE HERE: Police close busy road after discovering human remains at Handy Cross

Wycombe man Chris Harris was at the spot where the body was discovered at around 1.40pm on Saturday after police descended on the area searching for his fiancé’s mother’s runaway dog – which had been spotted on the M40.

Mr Harris was looking through nearby woods and shrubbery following an earlier sighting when, alongside two on duty officers, they found the human remains “hidden” on a footpath.

He said: “I headed off to where the dog had been seen, looking through all the bushes and fields and woods and that’s when we found it.

“I thought it was a pile of clothes and rubbish and stuff which had been dumped, but then the police officers were looking at it a bit closer and then the penny dropped that there’s a body there.

“I couldn’t get my head around it. You read about that sort of thing, or hear of it on the news, but you don’t ever think that will happen.

“It wasn’t until about an hour later that it sunk in that I’d just walked past this dead body.

“I couldn’t have identified what it was, man, woman or a child, to me it just looked like a load of rubbish which was put there, but on second glance, you could tell it was out of place and shouldn’t be there.”

Bucks Free Press:

Mr Harris also revealed to the Bucks Free Press that a “strange” camp, near to where the body was discovered, is being investigated.

He said: “Before we found the body, I stumbled through a camp. It looked like someone sleeping in the woods had made themselves a little area.

“I didn’t really think much of it at first, as I was more interested in finding the dog.

“It hadn’t looked like anyone had been there for a while, but the impression I got from the man in CID is that it had something to do with what they had discovered.”

Mr Harris added: “When we first saw the body it just looked like mess from the camp, lots of clothes, shoes and rubbish.”

Officers later confirmed that the loose dog, Masky the doberman, was found "safe and well." 

Police have not issued an update on their investigation today, but it is understood a scene watch will remain in place and forensic teams will continue to look for evidence throughout Monday.

The road is still closed while police carry out an investigation into the death.

The incident is reminiscent of the discovery of the decomposing body of 26-year-old Sinead Healey near Beaconsfield’s Pyebush roundabout in March 2001.

Miss Healey, from Ireland, had been battered to death by her ex-boyfriend Kenneth Lynch. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2003.

Were you in the area when the human remains were found? Get in touch with the Bucks Free Press by emailing andrew.colley@london.newsquest.co.uk